Private Lessons with James W.
James W.
James has earned degrees in percussion performance from Ithaca College and Northern Illinois University. In addition to his work at MLC, James serves on the faculty of Keene State College in New Hampshire, teaching percussion and music technology, and directing the percussion ensemble. He has a wide range of performance experience, including jazz vibraphone, pan (steel drums), drum set, hand drumming, and piano. Locally, he has performed as a percussionist with the Ridgefield, Waterbury and New Britain symphony orchestras, and for over a decade has served as principal percussionist with the Wallingford Symphony Orchestra. He has toured Taiwan as a performer with the NIU Steel Band, a group which recorded his arrangement of movements from Handel’s Water Music for steel band. He has had articles published in Percussive Notes (the official publication of the Percussive Arts Society) and authored the “Expressive Jazz Techniques” column for Jazz Player Magazine. James has taught at Ithaca College, Northern Illinois University, and Elgin Community College, and has presented clinics in percussion performance at numerous schools including WCSU, SCSU, Kent State University, Keene State College, and The Hartt School. Additionally, he has appeared as a clinician for the Connecticut and New Hampshire chapters of the Percussive Arts Society. James also plays piano focusing on Jazz and popular music, including Jazz Harmony and improvisation, synthesizers, and sequencing. James has been teaching since 1990.